Updated 2-5-24. California has very specific requirements for its Notary certificates, and they often cause confusion. Here’s an overview of what Golden State Notaries need to know when completing certificates.
Mandatory California certificate language
When you are completing any notarization on a document that will be filed in California, you must use the certificate wording exactly as prescribed by state law. The certificate wording for the following notarial acts are listed in the statutes below, which can be found in the NNA’s California Notary Law Summary:
- Acknowledgments: California Civil Code Section 1189
- Jurats: California Government Code Section 8202
- Proofs Of Execution By Subscribing Witness: California Civil Code Section 1195
Under some circumstances, a California Notary notarizing a signature on a document to be filed in another state may be allowed to complete that state’s acknowledgment wording instead (see “Out-Of-State Acknowledgments” below).
However, California Notaries may never use another state’s jurat or proof of execution certificate wording, no matter where the document is to be filed. All jurats and proofs of execution performed by California Notaries must use the certificate wording exactly as prescribed by state law.
The California certificate consumer notice
California’s mandatory certificate wording for acknowledgments, jurats or proofs of execution must include the following consumer notice above the notarial certificate:
“A Notary Public or other officer completing this certificate verifies only the identity of the individual who signed the document to which this certificate is attached, and not the truthfulness, accuracy, or validity of that document.”
While there are no specific fonts or formats required for the consumer notice, it must meet the following requirements:
- The notice must be printed legibly, and the wording must appear exactly as shown above.
- The notice must be enclosed in a box.
- The notice must appear above the venue wording in the certificate (“State of California, County of ______ “). NNA members may download complimentary California certificates as a membership benefit by accessing their member profiles at NationalNotary.org, clicking “Notary Certificate Forms” under the Member Resources box and selecting “California” from the drop-down menu.
Out-of-state acknowledgments
California Notaries often are asked to notarize a signature on a document that will be filed in another state or jurisdiction that includes out-of-state acknowledgment wording that differs from California wording. You may complete an acknowledgment using the out-of-state wording as long as the following three requirements are met:
- The notarization being requested is an acknowledgment.
- The document is being filed outside California.
- The certificate wording does not require the Notary to determine or certify that the signer holds a particular representative capacity or make other determinations and certifications not allowed by California law.
In all other situations, a California Notary must use the state’s prescribed notarial certificate wording.
Correcting Notary certificates in California
If you make an error while filling out a certificate, the correction must be made before the notarization is completed. According to the Secretary of State’s Notary Public Handbook, correcting certificates after the notarization is finished is prohibited.
If you spot an error during the notarization process, you may correct the certificate using the following steps:
- Line through the incorrect information
- Write out the correct information
- Initial and date the correction
- Make a note in your journal entry
Never let anyone else correct a notarial certificate you have completed, and never send an unattached or blank notarial certificate to anyone in order to correct a past certificate error.
David Thun is the Editorial Manager at the National Notary Association.
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Notary Certificates